The project TRIFT – a Leonardo-da-Vinci-Transfer of Innovation-Project 2010-2012 – has elaborated a competence matrix for the professional area «foreign trade», which consists of competence areas. This publication offers the theoretical background and the work process of the project as well as the documentation of the results.

The project TRIFT – a Leonardo-da-Vinci-Transfer of Innovation-Project 2010-2012 – has elaborated a competence matrix for the professional area «foreign trade», which consists of competence areas and competence development steps inside these areas. This competence matrix can be used to describe competence profiles for individuals, for the needs of companies (e.g. for applications) or for vocational programmes. It has been tested through internships by apprentices for foreign trade. They had to run an ePortfolio, the results have been evaluated by specially developed assessment instruments on the basis of the competence matrix. Through the valid evaluation of the competences gained during an internship it is possible to acknowledge and recognise them as completed parts of the respective vocational programme. The competence matrix and the instruments developed in this project also support the ECVET-process. This publication offers articles on the theoretical background and the work process of the project (including evaluational remarks) as well as the documentation of the results: competence matrix, competence profiles for vocational programmes in five countries and the documents of ePortfolio and assessment.